Ideas welcome of how to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary
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STEUBENVILLE -- Looking for ways to celebrate a special milestone for the nation while sharing Ohio's history is important to Todd Kleismit.
That's what brought him to the Visitor Center at Historic Fort Steuben on Wednesday.
"There is a diverse, rich heritage that exists in our state," Kleismit said while making a presentation about the work of the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial. "We want this to be a great opportunity to tell Ohio's history."
The Dayton native is executive director of the commission, which is working under the title of America 250-Ohio. He's making his way through the state on a series of listening sessions, looking to discuss the work of the 29-member commission and to hear what Ohioans want to see happen in the run-up to the nation's 250th anniversary.
"We're not just leading up to a big party on July 4, 2026," he said. "If we did just that, we'd be squandering a huge opportunity. What we are trying to do is to get a lot of awareness and generate enthusiasm and ideas. We think Ohio is really going to get into this, and we want Steubenville and this part of Ohio to be a part of it."
Put together earlier this year, the commission has important work to do -- preparing Ohio to participate in the celebration, which is less than four years away. Kleismit admits that's not a lot of time, but adds that's one of the reasons the board wants to get as much input from state residents as soon as possible.
"It's extremely important," he said. "We want to bring people together, and the best way to do that is to show people you care. We need to get out of Central Ohio and to go to all of the places. We have been talking with the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution in Marietta, and we're also going to be going to the Black churches in Toledo and Cleveland. We need everybody to be a part of this, and we are going to try to make this as inclusive as we can."
In short, the commission is looking for ways to bring history alive and to spark an interest in people. That's critical in this time in the country's history, he said, where so much of the political discourse is us-vs.-them.
"We're trying to do something different, and we hope that this small window of time affords us an opportunity to reflect, and perhaps have a little bit of conversation. All of the United States is participating --we want to bring people together.
"I really think this is well-timed," he continued.
Kleismit might be new to the job, but he brings a lot of experience with him. For 18 years, he served as director of community and government relations with Ohio History Connection. That's the nonprofit that works to preserve the state's history.
Ohio's organization is coordinating efforts with the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which was established by Congress in 2016 to help plan the celebration and help Americans remember the past, celebrate the present and look toward a promising future. Frank Giordono, founder of the Atlantic Trailer Leading Corp. and president of the Philly Pops, is the commission's executive director.
It's a project that will touch all 50 states.
"We're going to learn from other states," Kleismit said. "We're all going to be participating in this in ways that make sense for each state. If you're celebrating America's 250th, and you're in a place like Philadelphia, there's going to be a lot of 1776. For states like Ohio and farther west, you're going to see more of the Spirit of 1776."
He added that Ohio's history is about hundreds, if not thousands, of things, and has had a large role in the country's history. That includes Eastern Ohio, where Fort Steuben was built to protect the surveyors who were helping to open the Northwest Territory, while laying the groundwork for Ohio to become a state in 1803.
"Ohio was, in many ways, the first truly American state," Kleismit said. "The first 13 were British colonies and the next three were carved out of those colonies. But the first state that was created whole cloth as an American state -- the template for the rest of the nation -- was Ohio."
Cooperation among local and state officials will be critical in determining where the work in Ohio goes. Kleismit said it is up to leaders in each of Ohio's 88 counties and their communities to decide how they will participate. And that's why the listening sessions being held around the state are important. Similar meetings have been held in Marietta, Cincinnati, Toledo and Columbus, with this week's schedule including stops in Dayton, Lancaster and Cleveland.
He said the organization would like to be able to establish grants that local projects will have the opportunity to apply for.
"That's something we definitely want to do," he said, while admitting, "We're not sure how that system will be set up."
Kleismit said information about the work being done can be found at ohiohistory.org/America250-OhioCommission. He added they are working to create a logo and finish designing "an awesome interactive website."
"We have less than a four-year window to make the most of Ohio's participation," he said. "We want Steubenville to be a part of this -- Historic Fort Steuben needs to be a part of this."
It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Ohioans -- and all Americans -- to be part of a special celebration.
"When they have the nation's 300th anniversary 50 years from now, we want them to look back and say that they did things the right way."